The present invention is directed toward a delivery system for whitening teeth and more particularly, toward a system which delivers a whitening agent to a person""s teeth and which is easy to use, effective and inconspicuous.
Dentists, like other health care professionals, often seek ways in which to improve instruments and procedures in order to provide better care for their patients. For example, dentists have experimented with various procedures for whitening teeth. One such procedure involves dipping a gauze strip into a bleaching material, applying the strip to a patient""s tooth, and then exposing the covered tooth to a light source. This procedure, however, is not very effective because the amount of light which passes through the gauze strip is minimal since it is not transparent. A further limitation of this procedure is that because only one tooth is whitened at a time, the procedure is time-consuming, thereby increasing the patient""s discomfort and exposure to the light source.
Currently, dentists whiten a patient""s teeth by preparing a peroxide solution and coating the teeth with the solution. Once the solution is placed on the teeth, the teeth are exposed to a heat lamp or a laser light in order to heat the peroxide and to accelerate the bleaching process. In order to protect the patient""s gums, a rubber sheet, Vaseline, or a light cured gel may be placed on the gums.
There are several disadvantages with the above-described process. For example, the rubber sheet placed over the patient""s gums may stretch so that the peroxide solution leaks around the rubber sheet, exposing the patient""s gums to the peroxide, thereby causing the patient discomfort. Also, this method cannot be performed on the upper set of teeth and the lower set of teeth simultaneously. Rather, only one set of teeth may be whitened at a time. Another disadvantage is that if a heat lamp is used a substantial amount of time is required in order to effectively bleach the teeth. Thus, the patient is exposed to the lamp for a great deal of time. This can cause extreme discomfort and inconvenience to the patient. Furthermore, the peroxide solution often times cannot be concentrated on the teeth. That is, the solution may drip off of the teeth if too much of the solution is applied or the solution may dry out if too little of the solution is applied.
Another method of whitening teeth is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,428 to Yarborough. This patent discloses using a laser light to activate bleaching agents applied to a patient""s teeth. A mixture of peroxide and a first catalyst is prepared and then applied to the teeth. The teeth are then exposed to a laser light which activates the peroxide and catalyst to accelerate the bleaching process without heat. A second mixture of peroxide and a catalyst is then prepared and applied to the teeth. Again, the teeth are exposed to a laser light which heat activates the second mixture to accelerate the bleaching process. This process, however, increases the patient""s exposure to laser light.
In yet another system, a peroxide solution may be combined with a gel which acts as a carrier. The mixture is then applied to a person""s teeth which are then exposed to a light source. This system may be used by a person without the aid of a dentist or other medical personnel. That is, the peroxide-gel solution may be placed within a plastic mouthguard, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,990,089 to Munro, which is worn by a person overnight. A problem with this system is that the peroxide-gel solution decreases the effectiveness of the peroxide because generally these solutions are weak.
Also, the use of gel, in any dental office system, decreases the effectiveness of the peroxide because of the gel""s opacity. That is, light is not able to pass through to all of the peroxide because of the opacity of the gel. Also, the gel prevents full contact of the tooth with the peroxide solution, thereby decreasing the effectiveness of the peroxide solution.
U. S. Pat. No. 6,106,293 issued to Wiesel, one of the current inventors, describes a system for whitening teeth that is intended to be used in a dentist""s office and which is much more effective than previously known systems. The Wiesel patented system uses a transparent carrier for holding a peroxide solution in contact with a person""s teeth. A laser or other light can then be applied to increase the whitening effect.
An even more effective whitening technique is disclosed in allowed U.S. application Ser. No. 09/414,183 also filed by Wiesel. This system uses a flexible porous material as the carrier for the whitening solution. The porous material becomes at least translucent when it is wetted by the whitening solution so that the teeth and solution can be exposed to light through the carrier to increase the whitening effect. The porous carrier also allows additional whitening solution to be applied to the teeth while the system is in place on the patient""s teeth. This is accomplished by brushing additional whitening solution onto the outer exposed surface of the carrier and allowing the same to be wicked into the inner surface to contact the teeth. While the Wiesel systems are effective, they are intended for use in a dentist""s office.
A home system for whitening teeth is disclosed in U. S. Pat. No. 5,891,453 to Sagel et al. The delivery system described in this patent comprises a strip of flexible material onto which the user may place a quantity of a tooth whitening substance. The flexible strip along with the tooth whitening substance is then placed on the surface of the teeth and is allowed to remain in place for a sufficient period of time to allow the active ingredient within the substance to act on the surface of the teeth. Because the system described in this patent is intended for home use, the concentration of the whitening substance must be relatively low and there is no suggestion of applying ultraviolet light or any other light in order to enhance the whitening function.
A similar home system for treating teeth is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,811 to Dirksing et al. This patented system utilizes a carrier strip in the form of a permanently deformable material that carries an oral care substance thereon and which holds the same in place on the teeth by conforming to the shape thereof. The carrier strip, however, must remain in place as long as the oral care substance is being applied and is, therefore, normally visible to others. Since the substance must be maintained against the teeth for substantial periods of time, patients may hesitate to use such devices even in their own homes.
There is, therefore, a need in the art for a home whitening system that is effective, easy to use and less conspicuous than the prior art systems that are now available.
The present invention is designed to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art discussed above. It is an object of the present invention to provide a delivery system for whitening a person""s teeth that is convenient to use.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a delivery system for whitening a person""s teeth which remains on the teeth without the aid of a carrier or other type of support means so as to be less obvious to others.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a delivery system for whitening a person""s teeth which can be used by a person at home but which is still effective in achieving whitening results.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiments demonstrating features and advantages of the present invention, there is provided a whitening delivery system for a person""s teeth that includes a gel having a whitening agent, such as peroxide, contained therein. The gel is supported and carried in a channel formed in the central area of a strip of core material that also functions as a gum protective liner. The core and gum protective liner is preferably made of a biodegradable material or of a similar material that can be washed or brushed away. A release liner may be applied to the top of the combined gel and core and is removed to expose the gel when the system is to be used. Applied to the lower surface of the core is a releasable backing layer that supports the gel and core and functions as an applicator for the system. The backing layer maintains the integrity of the core and allows the same to be molded to the surfaces of the teeth without having to directly handle the core with one""s hands. To use the system, the release liner is removed and the core is fitted to the teeth with the gel in contact with the teeth and the gum protective liner covering the gum. Once the core has been fitted to the teeth, the backing layer is removed leaving the core in place with the gel and whitening agent remaining on the teeth. After a desired period of time, the core with the whitening gel is washed off, brushed off, pulled off, or is allowed to simply dissolve.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment.